What's Shakin' in Beverage and Mixology - August 29, 2014

Barenjager Announces Fifth Annual National Bartending Competition
Barenjager Honey Liqueur, the original honey liqueur made with pure premium natural honey, is on the hunt for you! From July 28 – September 12, professional and amateur mixologists across the country are invited to submit their most innovative original cocktail creations incorporating Barenjager Honey Liqueur, Barenjager Honey & Bourbon, Barenjager Honey & Tea or Barenjager Honey & Pear for a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to “BEARlin,” Germany and $1000. MORE>>

Newcastle Brown Ale’s “Bartender Gigs” Program Celebrates Musicians’ Time Behind the Bar
Concerts and beer go together like rock and roll. Uncountable musicians have worked in bars throughout their careers, slinging drinks and perfecting their craft as they dream of stardom. Some even make the transition from bar to stage for good as their careers take off. To celebrate the natural camaraderie between musicians and bartenders, Newcastle Brown Ale is presenting a series of concerts for bartenders organized by the U.S. Bartenders Guild that combines rising musical stars with the time-honored tradition of bartending. MORE>>

Sacramento Tomato Juice, Finlandia Vodka Bloody Mary Contest Winner Announced
A signature Bloody Mary cocktail is a must for any great restaurant or bar. Executive Chef Robert Aikens, of New York City’s The Peacock, can now boast his restaurant has the best in America. Aikens will pocket $2,000. The Most Magnificent Mary Contest, sponsored by Sacramento Tomato Juice and supported by Finlandia Vodka, stirred top restaurants and bars from across the nation to enter their best recipe. MORE>>

Cocktail Professionals in a European Mood
At the latest edition of Tales, which last month drew 23,000 liquor enthusiasts to New Orleans, promoters and presenters were so fixated on Europe that it's surprising the host hotel didn't tally up room charges in euros. Award winners toasted their victories with Champagne; the cognoscenti flocked to seminars on sherry, absinthe, Scotch and Calvados; and Grey Goose introduced VX, a new vodka that's 5 percent cognac. MORE>>

Paper Flavored Cocktail Wins Most Imaginative
If you enjoy the smell of a good book, then you’re going to love this one. A French bartender created a drink for Bombay Sapphire’s most imaginative cocktail contest that smells and tastes like something you’d normally never associate with a beverage: paper. Yes, paper. The gin company brought a group of 14 top bartenders from around the world to London to create their version of the most imaginative drink, of which the only requirement was that it must include Bombay Sapphire. MORE>>

Great Maryland Cocktails: the Dragon My Balls at Brass Balls Saloon
For 34 years, Brass Balls Saloon has been a go-to location on Ocean City's boardwalk, providing live entertainment daily and a whole lot of hilarious "balls"-related puns. While widely known for introducing the Rum Runner to the Mid-Atlantic via Key West, Fla., alongside nearby Seacrets, Brass Balls Saloon's vast party cocktail menu doesn't disappoint with its summery blends. MORE>>

Noosa Bartenders Mix It with the Best for Awards
Even though Miss Moneypenny's opened in Hastings Street, Noosa, only eight months ago, it has cemented itself firmly as a winner in the Coast's dining scene. Its recent two nominations in the 2014 Australian Bar Awards have staff and owner Ben Walsh elated. The Australian Bar Awards are regarded as the most prestigious in Australia and are hotly contested. MORE>>

5 of Seattle's Best "Shrub" Cocktails
No, I’m not telling you to drink that round, green plant in your front yard. “Shrubs” are also known as “drinking vinegars,” and as old-fashioned cocktails have made their way back onto menus all around Seattle, you’ve probably seen more of these vinegar-based drinks as well. MORE>>